• • CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• • Faith and the Common Good
• • Trivia
• • Connections

Overview: This week, the CCUSA Social Policy team met with 14 new diocesan directors of Catholic Charities agencies. The team assured the new directors of their support and shared a number of resources with them, including the advocacy manual – Faith, Action, Justice: A Manual for Legislative Advocacy – and Advocacy Basics, one-pagers that offer a quick review of the manual’s content.

On Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed a debt ceiling bill that would raise the ceiling for one year, while at the same time spending no more than $1.47 trillion in FY2024 and capping annual growth at 1% until 2032. The bill would impose stricter work requirements on those people seeking federal assistance for food and health care. CCUSA opposes any measure that would make it more difficult for people, such as children, senior citizens and people with disabilities, to receive the basics of a dignified life.

2023 Farm Bill: On Tuesday, April 25, CCUSA co-hosted a reception, Keeping the Faith: Bipartisan Commitment for a 2023 Farm Bill, along with other faith-based organizations. The event featured the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and  John Boozman (R-AR), and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), who spoke on the importance of bipartisan collaboration in the Farm Bill reauthorization process. CCUSA along with the USCCB and other national Catholic organizations also sent a letter concerning priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill to Congressional leaders.

Attendees at the “Keeping the Faith: Bipartisan Commitment for a 2023 Farm Bill” reception, April 25, 2023, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. From left to right: Bishop James Walker, Presiding Bishop, 7th Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; Heather Taylor, Managing Director, Bread for the World; Anthony Granado, Vice President, CCUSA Social Policy Team; Rev. Amy Reumann, Directory of Advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Rev. David Beckmann, President Emeritus, Bread for the World. (Photo/David Werning)

Immigration: House Republicans marked up the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 (H.R. 2794), a border security bill that they intend to bring to a vote in the coming weeks, which may coincide with the termination of Title 42 on May 11. The bill would mandate the completion of a southern border wall and provide more funding and technology upgrades for Customs and Border Patrol. The bill would also eliminate funding to NGOs that provide humanitarian aid to asylum seekers. The CCUSA Social Policy team is monitoring the situation closely and considering next steps. Meanwhile, the Biden administration announced new measures to reduce unlawful migration into the U.S. and provide lawful pathways for migrants entering the country.

Economy: In the week ending April 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 230,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 245,000 to 246,000. The 4-week moving average was 236,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 239,750 to 240,000.

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One of the clear messages in the readings for Sunday is that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He not only knows his sheep by name but also lays down his life for his sheep, unlike bad shepherds who avoid self-sacrifice and service to others. The sheep, therefore, should recognize and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, which may seem obvious but can be difficult to practice.

What to do, for example, when one set of Christians disagree with other Christians about belief and practice, yet both sets claim to follow the same Good Shepherd?

A 13th-century mosaic of the Good Shepherd is seen in the Basilica of Santa Maria in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome. "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me," John 10:27 states. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Do we throw up our hands and conclude that we can’t do anything beyond taking care of ourselves and those closest to us? Such a conclusion would place us within the heresy of Quietism, which taught that the most we can do is wait piously for Jesus' return. The opposite extreme maintains that we can achieve heaven on earth. We just need the right science, the right program, the right policy, the right "whatever." Anyone who disagrees needs to get on board with the right people (us, not them) and everything will lead to a great future.

The trouble with these extremes, however, is that in the first example human beings absolve themselves of all responsibility. In the second example, God is a distant deity who winds things up and leaves everything to those human beings on the ground who know best. Neither extreme has much to do with the God who has been revealed to us in the Bible, in Sacred Tradition, and perfectly in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is God, who took on human nature, and reveals who God is. Jesus is intimately involved with us and our world, and, while he didn't provide a set of rules for every possible situation, he did give us a solid foundation from which to follow him. The life of a Christian is grounded in the salvation Jesus achieved through his death and resurrection. He saved us through an active, outpouring love. Our fundamental task is to trust him and pour out our love for others.

One of the foundational teachings of Jesus is “Let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ And Jesus practiced what he taught, as St. Peter tells us, “no deceit was found in his mouth.”

How many complicated situations between nations and individuals could move toward reconciliation if we all followed this simple commandment? Indeed, how many complicated situations result not from real moral ambiguity but from spiritual laziness or outright deception? If we’re having trouble following Jesus on a daily basis, or find most of his words too difficult or troublesome, then the problem may have more to do with the disciple than the teacher.

Another saying from Jesus that is often a point of argument is this: “the poor you will have with you always, but you will not always have me.” Is Jesus saying that it’s ok to ignore the poor? Quite the contrary:  the opportunity to serve the poor is ever-present, and we should be ever-ready to serve them. However, the priority is always our relationship with Jesus, which is manifested in how well we love others.

Undoubtedly there will be decisions and situations that we face – personally and communally – that are very complicated. All the more reason to tune our hearts and minds more acutely to the voice of Jesus, and to be clear about personal motives. As we follow him in little things, he will build us up to tackle bigger problems.

It's always good to remind ourselves that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Every action, every word of Jesus, manifested his love and revealed that there is more to reality, more to this world, than we experience here and now. There is also life in Christ that continues after death. 

Here and now, we love Christ and our neighbors in word and deed. We are not called to build a utopia and we are not meant to simply wait for heaven. All our love and actions are meant to align with the voice of the Good Shepherd and anticipate eternal life.

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Q. What is the oldest active military unit in continual existence since 1506?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. What does the book of Exodus say about usury?

A. We did not receive an answer for our trivia question, but here’s a relevant quote from the Bible:   Exodus 22:24 says, “If you lend money to my people, the poor among you, you must not be like a money lender; you must not demand interest from them.”

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